


All the Difference in the World

by Saraste



Series: 2019 Advent Ficlet Challenge [8]
Category: Call the Midwife
Genre: Advent Ficlet Challenge 2019, Bathing/Washing, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:21:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21723673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saraste/pseuds/Saraste
Summary: The best thing was coming home to someone.
Relationships: Delia Busby/Patsy Mount
Series: 2019 Advent Ficlet Challenge [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1558918
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34
Collections: 2019 Advent Ficlet Challenge





	All the Difference in the World

**Author's Note:**

> Written for day 8. warm bath of the 2019 Advent Ficlet Challenge.

Patsy loved nothing more than a nice warm bath after a busy day spent helping babies into the world. Edinburgh still felt new and exciting, but it was also Scotland, which meant cold winters and chilled toes.

But she was there with _Delia_ , which made all the difference in the world. Delia, who always welcomed her home with a hug if she was in sooner, and whom Patsy welcomed home in the same way when it was her turn. Living together was easy and safe as long as people thought that there was nothing more to their living arrangements than simply two good friends sharing a flat. Behind closed curtains, out of prying eyes, they shared their lives and loved each other and indulged in the domestic intimacy which they had so seldomly shared and craved for, and had now vowed never to take for granted.

Today, Delia had greeted Patsy with a kiss to her cold cheek and had held her hands between her own while giving her a sympathetic smile. ‘Oh, you poor lamb, you’re half frozen, I’ll run you a bath to thaw you up!’

Patsy undressed in their bedroom, neatly putting her uniform to hang from the door, where it would wait for the next day, and drew on her bathrobe, feeling almost rebelliously decadent in indulging in a bath on a work night. But it was December, a little indulgence could be excused in December, the spirit of the season and all that. When she entered their cramped bathroom, a cloud of steam greeted her along with a smiling Delia, the steam had plastered an unruly curl onto Delia's cheek, which Patsy couldn’t resist tucking behind her ear. Then she let her hand wander behind Delia's neck and drew her into a deep kiss, taking her time. She then hugged her close, unhurried, putting her head on Delia’s shoulder and sighing, breathing in the scent of her and infusing herself with thoughts of her bath, her chilled limbs shivering with the anticipation. 

‘Thank you.’

‘You’re welcome, Pats. Now go in, I’ll bring you some tea in a minute, just need to put the kettle on.’

‘ _You’re a gem_.’

She was still smiling when she took off her robe and put her feet into the bath that was just warm enough, and welcome enough that neither of them minded having crammed it in into their rather small bathroom. The only downside of their tub was that it didn’t fit two, unless those two individuals preferred to sit very squished together, indeed. But to be able to submerge herself and have feeling prickle back to her extremities and her sore muscles melting little by little was worth every inconvenience.

*

Delia was an absolute brick. She brought Patsy a steaming hot cup of tea with a ginger snap on the saucer after Patsy had soaked in the bath for a while, enough to make her extremities prickle, but not warm her throughout completely, that would take a longer soak. An hour or so, it felt to her. 

‘Dels, I love you,’ she said fervently, smiling tiredly, warmed again by the sight of her girlfriend. Her work was rewarding, but the winter took its toll, and coming home to Delia was still new enough to be a novelty. And to be pampered by her like this would never grow old, Patsy wouldn’t let it.

Delia’s eyes twinkled as she gave her the tea, which Patsy sipped appreciatively. There was honey in the Darjeeling and it warmed her something wonderful. But not as much as that smile, or the fact Delia perched onto the toilet seat to keep her company.

She was _home_.

Finally.


End file.
